1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to systems for human-computer interaction. In particular, the present invention relates to a system and method for enhancing a computer user""s Internet browsing experience by determining a user""s preferences and facilitating the user""s interaction with a community of users (community members) sharing similar preferences via community content annotations related to on-line content and via synchronous and asynchronous interactions with community members sharing similar preferences.
2. Description of Related Art
Computer information services today offer a variety of services and content to their subscribers. For example, subscribers of the CompuServe(copyright) Information Service may retrieve information or content from a repository maintained by the service or possibly, by a third party provider. In addition, CompuServe subscribers may communicate with other subscribers. Communications may occur in real time as subscribers initiate and join ongoing conference room or xe2x80x9cchatxe2x80x9d sessions managed by the information service. CompuServe subscribers may also communicate directly with one another as well as with non-members via electronic mail (e-mail.) Special interest on-line discussion groups (i.e., message boards or forums) within CompuServe also provide opportunities for subscribers to communicate with one another. Forums are generally comprised of three major areas: a message area, a library, and a conference room for forum conferencing.
The message area serves as a place for posting and responding to messages relating to a specific topic. When a message is posted and someone responds to it, a thread is created. A thread is a string of two or more messages that are related to one another and that share a particular subject or topic heading (i.e., thread). The forum library serves as a storage area for documents, graphics, and other information that may be browsed, searched, or downloaded. Forum conferences, on the other hand, are live electronic conversations between two or more forum members. It is the facilitation of interaction via these various methods and in relation to shared areas or topics of interest that gives on-line information service subscribers a sense of belonging to a community.
To interact with the CompuServe Information Service, a subscriber""s computer may be equipped with communication or connection software that has a graphical user interface such as the CompuServe Information Manager for Windows(copyright) (WinCIM). The communication software allows the subscriber to establish and maintain a connection with the information service and to perform tasks and retrieve information content from the service as well as interact with other subscribers. Typically, the communication software is designed to support all of the features and functionality of the information service and is tailored to a user""s interaction with the on-line service. Content at the on-line service is typically organized or categorized according to areas of interest among groups of users (e.g., Windows Users"" Forum, CNN Online, Entrepreneur""s Small Business Forum). Content is generally presented or displayed in a similar manner regardless of the area of interest. Users are able to locate content easily and communicate easily with others who share similar interests (e.g., via forums, e-mail, conferencing or chat) thereby creating communities.
The Internet and World Wide Web (Web), comprised of a vast array of international computer networks, provide on-line service subscribers with additional content or resources to search. These international computer networks may be comprised of foreign host computers or servers (i.e., not part of the on-line service network) that users access to locate resources. Typically, these resources are accessed using a Web browser, such as Spry""s Mosaic, Microsoft""s Internet Explorer, or Netscape""s Navigator, capable of understanding the HyperText Markup Language (HTML) used to create the documents (Web pages) found on the Web and the HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) (as well as other protocols and/or applications such as File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Internet Relay Chat (IRC), telnet, etc., collectively xe2x80x9cInternet protocolsxe2x80x9d) used to navigate or locate sites on the Web from which the HTML and other documents may be accessed. Although Web browsers typically have varying levels of functionality or sophistication, retrieved content is displayed according to views or presentations specific to the Web page currently presented by the Web browser. Each screenful of information includes menu choices, highlighted words, or graphics through which users may locate further information, either from the same computer or by linking automatically to another computer somewhere else on the Internet. Typically, the views and presentations of the Web pages are different than those provided by the communication software from the on-line service because the Web browser is, in fact, a separate client application displaying Web pages containing presentation directives in the form of HTML or another protocol/application such as FTP, IRC, etc.
Web sites are typically linked to one another via Uniform Resource Locators (URLs). Users may navigate or browse within a site or between sites simply by selecting or clicking on menu choices, highlighted words, or graphics (i.e., links on Web pages) that represent URLs. Despite the fact that navigating the Web is easy (users simply point and click), as it exists today, the Web is a huge, daunting, mostly disorganized space in which people wander aimlessly from link to link (i.e., URL) in hopes of finding meaningful content. Browsing the Web is essentially a solitary experience. Most Web pages are designed to present information to users rather than to promote interactions with other humans. Most interaction with other humans consists of, xe2x80x9ccheck out this URLxe2x80x9d by word of mouth, an e-mail message, or some other printed medium. Few, if any opportunities for interacting with others are presented to Web users.
What is further confusing to many computer users is the fact that they must learn and use different user interface software for interacting with or navigating/browsing the information service (i.e., information service communication software) than they use for interacting with or navigating/browsing the Web. Users"" on-line experiences are compromised because they must switch between applications to access information service content and then Internet/Web content. Switching between applications requires users to change not only the method of interaction, but also changes the context of interactions from community-oriented on the on-line service to solitary, less socially oriented interactions on the Internet/Web. Therefore, there is a need for an integrated method of interaction that allows computer users to access the Internet/Web using a commercially available browser, but also enjoy community-oriented activities and interactions of an on-line service that typically may be accomplished only by leaving the Internet/browser and switching to the on-line service content/on-line service communication software. Web users need the ability to form on-line relationships with others and to communicate with others of similar interests or background.
The present inventionxe2x80x94the Community Browserxe2x80x94enhances a user""s on-line experience by enabling those with similar interests or shared circumstances to enjoy on-going social relations. Social relations in an on-line environment translate to both real-time interactive methods or options, such as chat and gaming, and static interaction methods, such as viewing annotations (e.g., threaded messaging) and shared bookmarks. The enabling technology of the Community Browser augments the available content on the Internet/Web that is accessed via a browser with interaction opportunities for on-line service members and for Community-created content by on-line service members. The on-line community environment is integrated with a user""s browser so that messaging and interaction components of the on-line service are available while the user browses the Internet.
The Community Browser is a set of tools and capabilities that enable Web users to benefit from a focused view of the Web based on shared interest, an available group of people accessible for interactions, and a repository for relevant and pertinent information discovered while browsing or navigating the Web. The tools may be segmented into two groups: core components and interaction components. The core components enable a community to exist and are generally transparent to the user. Interaction components enable various capabilities and user interactions and facilitate the creation of community content by users.
The core components comprise a Community Server and a Community Client. The Community Server maintains communications with the Community Client which operates on the user""s computer. Together the Community Server and Community Client notify the user of annotations by community members affiliated with whatever Web page (as identified by a particular URL) he or she happens upon. The Community Server serves requests from the Community Client by initiating sessions between the appropriate annotation components and the Community Client, thus enabling annotations to be created and interactions with community members to occur in conjunction with navigating the Web. The primary function of the Community Server is as a community communication hub for facilitating interaction with a community while the user""s browser is running.
The Community Client serves primarily as an access mechanism to the community services, annotations, and interactions. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it is manifested as a toolbar on the user""s computer screen when used in conjunction with a Web browser selected by the user. In another embodiment of the present invention, it may also be used independently of a Web browser. Toolbar options facilitate the user""s community interaction options by, for example, allowing the user to access a Web page for the community or initiate a chat session with another community member.
The interaction components or methods (i.e., community interaction options) enable aspects of community experiences for users and allows them to engage in on-going social relations. The interaction components may comprise message boards (or forums), chat, community bookmarks, gaming, and voting. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the interaction components support xe2x80x9ccapabilitiesxe2x80x9d associated with a community. Capabilities may be viewed as actions that may be performed in a community. Each community may support a set of common or unique capabilities.
Message boards enable asynchronous interactions between community members through threaded messaging. Community threaded messages or annotations are associated with a particular Web page as identified by a URL. The concept of associating annotations to Web pages enables community members to create a natural organization for their messages. The Web page acts as the high-level interest filter and the topics of the associated annotations further define the context based on contributions from community members. Thus, community messaging becomes a true expression mechanism for the community and the millions of Web pages become catalysts for eliciting comments from community members.
Conferencing or xe2x80x9cchatxe2x80x9d enables real-time interactions between community members. Community members may initiate or just participate in real-time streaming chat sessions. Streaming chat includes the capability for users to exchange text, audio, and other multimedia type data.
Community bookmarks enable community members to contribute Web pages for the benefit of other community members. Contributors gain community recognition for their contributions. When creating a community bookmark, the contributor provides a title and a description for his or her contribution. This information may be indexed into a directory service at the time of creation so that it may be retrieved later.
Community members may also participate in on-line games such as DOOM, Quake, Flight Simulator. Users are presented with capabilities for inviting others to participate in a game and capabilities for actually participating in an on-line game.
Voting enables community managers and members to understand the temperament of the community based on input gathered through voting. There are two types of voting. (1) Votes may be registered for or against community bookmarks, thus creating a community rating system for the bookmarks. (2) A real-time polling mechanism enables community managers to ask questions and get immediate feedback from the community members while on-line.
The present invention allows Web users to form on-line relationships with Community members, to communicate with others of similar interest or backgrounds, and to view Community content. The Communities of the present invention may serve as a starting or focal point for Web navigating. The present invention provides a structure for a Web experience and helps users avoid being overwhelmed or overloaded by the complexity of the Web. The features and benefits of the present invention may be better understood by referring to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.